1 1 8 ADVA N CEMENT OF LEA RNJNG. [Book 



judgment used as ought to have been, as may appear in the writings 

 of Plinius, Cardanus, Albertus, and divers of the Arabians, being 

 fraught with much fabulous matter, a great part not only untried, but 

 notoriously untrue, to the great derogation of the credit of natural 

 philosophy with the grave and sober kinds of wits : wherein the wisdom 

 and integrity of Aristotle is worthy to be observed, that, having made 

 so diligent and exquisite a history of living creatures, hath mingled it 

 sparingly with any vain or feigned matter ; and yet, on the other side, 

 hath cast all prodigious narrations, which he thought worthy the 

 recording, into one book : excellently discerning that matter of 

 manifest truth, such whereupon observation and rule was to be built, 

 was not to be mingled or weakened with matter of doubtful credit ; and 

 yet again, that rarities and reports, that seem incredible, are not to be 

 suppressed or denied to the memory of men. 



And as for the facility of credit which is yielded to arts and 

 opinions, it is likewise of two kinds, either when too much belief is 

 attributed to the arts themselves, or to certain authors in any art. The 

 sciences themselves, which have had better intelligence and con 

 federacy with the imagination of man, than with his reason, are three 

 in number : astrology, natural magic, and alchemy ; of which sciences, 

 nevertheless, the ends or pretences are noble. For astrology pre- 

 tendeth to discover that correspondence, or concatenation, which is 

 between the superior globe and the inferior. Natural magic pre- 

 tendeth to call and reduce natural philosophy from variety of 

 speculations to the magnitude of works ; and alchemy pretemleth to 

 make separation of all the unlike parts of bodies, which in mixtures of 

 nature are incorporate. But the derivations and prosecutions to these 

 ends, both in the theories and in the practices, are full of error and 

 vanity; which the great professors themselves have sought to veil over 

 and conceal by enigmatical writings, and referring themselves to 

 auricular traditions and such other devices, to save the credit of 

 impostors : and yet surely to alchemy this right is due, that it maybe 

 compared to the husbandman whereof yEsop makes the fable ; that, 

 when he died, told his sons, that he had left unto them gold buried 

 underground in his vineyard; and they digged over all the ground, 

 and gold they found none; but by reason ot their stirring and digging 

 the mould about the roots of their vines, they had a great vintage the 

 year following : so assuredly the search and stir to make gold hath 

 brought to light a great number of good and fruitful inventions and 

 experiments as well for the disclosing of nature, as for the use 

 of man s h c 



And as for the overmuch credit that hath been given unto authors 

 in sciences, in making them dictators, that their words should stand ; 

 and not consuls to give advice ; the damage is infinite that sciences 

 have received thereby, as the principal cause that hath kept them low, 

 at a stay without growth or advancement. For hence it hath come, 

 that in arts mechanical, the first deviser comes shortest, and time 

 addeth and perfectcth : but in sciences, the first author goeth farthest, 

 and time loseth and corrupteth. So we see, artillery, sailing, printing, 



